Burton just loves mail day!

When I finished Whirly Geese off, I decided to run Calibre’s quilt through the quilter too. It’s not very big, so it was done in no time!

It’s about 28″ x 40″. Not huge by any means but the perfect size for our favourite beagle pup.

Mom had the perfect chunk of flannel for the back

And now this is all packed up and awaiting our playdate which is set for mid-April… provided the Corona virus plays nice with all of us, of course!

Continuing my knits for Natalie’s fundraiser, I give you the Bearly Bonnet.

This is one I’ve knit before and it’s just as adorable as the first one I made. This one is also knit in Stray Cat – a nice dark brown called Cocoa. It’s such a fun little knit. I’m not normally a fan of garter, but it’s perfect for this bonnet.

Other than the ears, there’s no seaming. It’s got wonderful shape and texture and it’s just oh so sweet!

Sadly, since I’m using up leftover yarn, I don’t have enough left to make a pair of booties to go with it. But that’s ok – it’s cute enough on its own.

I took some time this weekend to do a little quilting and binding.

I know I’ve said it before, but I love tacking down the binding on a quilt by hand. Maybe it’s because I know the project is almost done. But I find it much like knitting… mindless and therapeutic.  And when you’re done…

You’ve got a practical, usable work of art! While I have a great time coordinating fabrics for quilts, true scrap quilts will always have a special place in my heart.

And as you can see, this one has A LOT of scraps. There’s a total of 48 blocks, that’s 384 individual geese blocks. It seems like a lot, but as I made them as Leaders and Enders, this one was built without me barely even trying! It’s a nice size too… about 68″x78″, perfect for a twin bed, or an extra layer for a double.

For the back, I had more of that fabulous yellow fabric (super clearance bin find). I know yellow is not everyone’s cup of tea, but to me this would be like waking up to pure sunshine every morning! And I’ve got a fair bit of it left too, you’ll see this fabric again!

 

 

Like most of the country (and our friends to the south), things are starting to go into a bit of a lockdown here. Our schools have closed for at least three weeks, including my evening French classes. I already work from home, so not much will change there, though things might slow down a bit. There’s a lot of talk about “Social Distancing”, which is just fine with me. Limiting my contact with people has always been a hobby of mine.

Besides… I’ve got plenty to keep my busy right here.

As mentioned at the start of the year, my goal for 2020 is to knit for others as much as possible. My house is overflowing with knit things, so it’s time my needles were put to use for the greater good.

In addition to knitting gifts for family/friends, one of the big events I want to knit for is Bee Meadow Farm’s annual open house. Natalie does it every year in July, and it’s a major fundraiser for all the great work she does with her rescue animals and cat adoption.

This year, I’d like to have a big box full of knits and quilts that she can use in her silent auction.

I already have a few things tucked away, but while I’ve got time, I’m going to knit as much as possible.

First up… the Owlette hat

There are many versions of this hat on Ravelry. The one I chose was perfect for the skein of Biggo I had leftover from my Ursa sweater.

Because it’s bulky yarn, it knit up in no time. I think it took longer to sew on all those buttons for eyes! The Biggo is so soft and fluffy that it made the perfect pompom. That will hopefully bring in a penny or two for Natalie’s critters!

Thank you to the few of you who suggested I look for a doll house gramophone for my wee Nipper. I found one on ebay that wasn’t too expensive (that is NOT a cheap hobby!)…

I had to adjust the height of the horn a little, but otherwise it was the absolute perfect size. When I bought it, I assumed it was made of plastic, but it’s actually metal and wood and is quite nice in its quality.

It almost looks like it was made for him!

The weather continues to do its up and down, teasing me with sun and warmth, then slapping me in the face with snow and cold. Spring will come… it always does. But until it’s really here, I have to content myself with flowers in my fabric.

The Calico Garden quilt has a deadline. It’s not until the beginning of June, but as you know, I don’t like to leave things to the last minute. So I made two more blocks

Which brings me up to four completed. There will be nine in total, plus sashing and a border. This is going to be a BIG quilt!  I’m breaking the creation of them over two session… creating all the HSTs in one sitting (there are 72 at at time), and then trimming them all, and creating two big beautiful blocks in another.

And I have to show you the amazing fabric I got for the back…

A few weeks back, Lens had a special coupon – 65% off any Free Spirit fabric. Since Lens already has fabulous prices, the coupon made it an absolute steal. I mixed some Free Spirit Fabrics in the blocks, so it was a great choice for the back.  The selection was pretty picked over by the time I got to the store, so I was thrilled to score these cute little forest creatures. The recipient is going to love them just as much as I do.

 

 

“Look at mah feets!!!”

One of the things I’ve been wanted to try to make for ages is a simple tote bag. While there are hundreds of patterns out there, I didn’t have one – just a canvas tote bag I really liked, and a general idea of how to make a quilted one.

It took me most of an afternoon, but in the end, it worked out almost perfectly!

It’s nice and big, and fully lined, just as I wanted.

I will make more of these, but I will change just a few things. I’d like to put something in the bottom to make them sturdier. And the straps I’ll make wider (for ease of turning to the right side) as well as a little bit shorter.  The straps on this one are large enough to sling crosswise over your body, which is great for the recipient, but in general I’d like them shorter.

Now… about that fabric. You may have noticed that its the character from theLittle Mr/Little Miss series of books. It was part of a stash that a former sewer gave Mom and I. But what I didn’t notice until I started cutting it…

They are all in French! Luckily, the recipient will find that all the more charming! I certainly got a good giggle out of it.

With the Laguna socks done and dusted, I needed a new pair on the needles. I always like to have something ready for travel knitting, and socks are the perfect thing.

I still had the part balls of Twinkle Cat leftover from my Knotty gloves kicking around by the couch, so I decided to use them up. A quick search through Ravelry came up with the perfect pattern – Woodland Walk.

It’s a surprisingly quick pattern. I got through the entire leg, and a start on the heel, first while waiting for my own doctor’s appointment, and then a few days later waiting for Dave at his doctor’s.

I love those leaves – they are just so elegant. And the chart was quite easy to memorize, which was another surprise.

These are destined for the gift box. I’m not sure who they will got to yet, but I have several ladies on my list with the same sized feet, so I can make them now and decide later.

There’s also no rush to finish them, so I don’t expect you’ll see a tonne of progress on them, unless I do more travelling than expected.